Premier League
MAN UNITED-LIVERPOOL MATCH POSTPONED AFTER FANS STORM PITCH OVER GLAZER FAMILY’S OWNERSHIP
Manchester United’s Premier League match against Liverpool was postponed on Sunday (May 2) after United fans forced their way into the stadium and stormed the Old Trafford pitch to protest against the club’s owners – the Glazer family.
“Following discussion between the Police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today,” United said in a statement after the game was called off.
“Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture.”
An hour after the scheduled 1530 GMT kickoff, both sets of players were still in their hotels.
The Lowry Hotel, where United’s players were preparing for the match, was also the scene of a large anti-Glazer protest.
Around 200 United fans took to the pitch, some letting off flares and others carrying posters calling for the Glazer family, the club’s American owners, to sell the club.
The match was being played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Media representatives covering the game, including Reuters, were kept outside as the stadium was locked down.
In a statement the Premier League said: “Following the security breach at Old Trafford, the Manchester United versus Liverpool game has been postponed.
“This is a collective decision from the police, both clubs, the Premier League and local authorities. The security and safety of everyone at Old Trafford remains of paramount importance. We understand and respect the strength of feeling but condemn all acts of violence, criminal damage and trespass, especially given the associated Covid-19 breaches.”
There was no word on when they match would be played. Second-placed United needed a win to prevent Manchester City being crowned champions on Sunday.
While the protest had been planned and was largely peaceful, it descended into chaos as fans infiltrated the stadium.
A large crowd of fans also gathered outside the ground, letting off green and gold flares – the colours of United’s shirts when they were formed as Newton Heath.
Mounted police moved in to try to clear the areas outside the stadium and there were some isolated incidents with bottles and barriers being thrown.
The planned protest follows United’s initial decision to join a European Super League a along with five other English clubs. The plans for that breakaway league fell apart within days due to widespread opposition.
The club was bought by the American Glazer family for £790 million (S$1.45 billion) in 2005.
Although it has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2012, the Glazers retain majority ownership.
United owner Joel Glazer, who was named the European Super League vice-chairman when the announcement was made, has apologised to the fans in an open letter after they withdrew from the project.
However, that apology seems to have been rejected by the club’s supporter base who protested outside Old Trafford last week, which followed demonstrations at United’s training ground.
Speaking ahead of the protest, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “It’s important that the fans’ views are listened to and we communicate better. My job is to focus on the football side and that we have the best possible team.”
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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